Knights of Columbus #2

Issue 2: “All Tomorrow’s Parties part 2: The Girl Who Wasn’t There”

PAGE ONE

“Previously” Page

PAGE TWO

1/ Long-panel as Andrew sits atop a desk in a class room, facing us as he looks toward the class. He is giving a lecture. This is the first we see of Andrew’s job as a Philosophy Professor at OSU. He wears a white dress shirt, red tie, and brown corduroy pants, with dark brown boots.

CAPTION: Bolz Hall, the Ohio State University.

CAPTION (Andrew): The secrets we keep.

ANDREW: What Hume has to say about the nature of thought, boiled down to the argument’s most basic interpretation, is this:
ANDREW: We can conceive of a snowball. That’s what he calls a CONCEPT.
ANDREW: But that conception can’t exist without a few cursory sense impressions, namely: COLD, HARD, WET, ROUND, and WHITE.
ANDREW: These IMPRESSIONS are the building blocks of all CONCEPTS. If we HAD no conception of those five sensations, then a snowball – or a description of a snowball – would be meaningless to us. It would not be a FALSE concept, insofar as it clearly EXISTS, but it would most certainly be an EMPTY concept. An empty concept is one which cannot possibly mean anything significant to us; given its complete lack of correspondence with any of the day-to-day things we take for granted.

CAPTION: If I were to tell this class that my new NIGHT JOB is to hunt supernatural threats and lead PSYCHICS and WEREWOLVES into battle, they would fall in love with me.

2/ A student looks up from his notes.

STUDENT: Wait, I don’t follow. Couldn’t one SURMISE the basics of the constituent impressions based on the identity of the concept? Reverse engineer the thought process?

CAPTION: But I don’t.

3/ Andrew smiles.

CAPTION: I don’t because I learned at a very young age – as we ALL do – that not all information can AFFORD to be offered up on a PLATTER.

ANDREW: Again, only if there were some kind of rubric for basic sense impressions. How could one simply HOLD a snowball and suddenly understand that the sensation they feel is the opposite of HOT? As long as they had no familiarity with the feeling of COLD, they would be at a loss to understand the object in their hands.

CAPTION: As frightening and BIG BROTHER as it sounds, it is, nevertheless, TRUE. Some things are just too VOLATILE to be common knowledge.

4/ Another student – blonde, shaggy hair, clean-shaven face, crystal blue eyes, dressed in cargo pants and a blue Avengers t-shirt – raises his hand.

CAPTION: Maybe, someday, we’ll live in a world where there’s NO ROOM for secrets; where truth itself is held to be the HIGHEST attainable GOAL…

2nd STUDENT: Professor MacTiernan?

ANDREW: (Off-panel) Yes, Joshua. Can you explain a little better?

JOSH: I think so. Try to see it like this:
JOSH: Suppose you’re talking to someone who has never, ever HEARD of Captain America. They simply have no idea who he is, or, for that matter, what any OTHER superhero is. They’ve never heard of superheroes.
JOSH: How could you EVER explain the fine points of a major comic-book crossover event? The kind where EVERY HERO in the Marvel Universe is gathered together to face a threat SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to attack the heroes at their core, to unmake the superhero element of the world in one fell swoop. Your listener would be at a complete loss. It’s a matter of CONTEXT.
JOSH: Like the professor said, it’s the knowledge of the CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS that gives our understanding of the big picture a FRAME OF REFERENCE.

CAPTION: …and SHAME and SUBTERFUGE are things of the past.


5/ Andrew leans forward on his desk, eyebrow raised.

CAPTION: In that world, people like BETH and MILO won’t have to live with the knowledge that their very IDENTITY is cause for alarm to a great many people.

ANDREW: That’s true, but we need to draw a clear DISTINCTION, here.
ANDREW: One does NOT, by any means, need to understand things as complex as the CHEMICAL COMPOSITION of the snowball to grasp its nature. We should be prudent in our use of the word ‘ELEMENTS.’
ANDREW: The human thought process, though capable of UNDERSTANDING the facets of reality we CANNOT see, is in fact limited by perception. People knew what a snowball was for QUITE some time before they began to understand the PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS.
ANDREW: Hume’s description of this Impression-Concept rule in no way relies on a true scientific understanding, because those understandings are NOT what make up our general WORLD-VIEW. Our view of the physical world is decided by what we can see, feel, taste, touch and hear. To get what a snow ball is, there are only five things you need to know, and I’ll say them again: COLD, HARD, WET, ROUND, and WHITE.

6/ Joshua holds his pencil between his lips, looking upward in thought.

CAPTION: People like DONOVAN won’t have to HIDE their clear ATTRACTION to a certain TEAMMATE. Or their FEAR of not living up to the legacy of their PREDECESSOR.

JOSH: So couldn’t we take this one step further?

ANDREW: (Off-panel) How’s that?

JOSH: If IMPRESSIONS are the basic building blocks of human understanding, and the combined forces of our impressions create our CONCEPTS, could it stand to reason that concepts are, in turn, the basis of RATIONAL THOUGHT? That IMPRESSIONS lead to CONCEPTS lead to IDEAS?
JOSH: Like, if I suggest that everyone in this class were to have a snowball fight on the Oval, tonight at nine – which I am totally suggesting, by the way – then that means I had an IDEA. It felt nice. But I couldn’t have had that idea without the CONCEPT of snowballs, and I couldn’t have had that concept without the IMPRESSIONS of cold, hard, wet, and round.
JOSH: Oh, and white.


7/ Andrew points to Joshua.

CAPTION: All things that are TRUE would simply be KNOWN and accepted at FACE VALUE.

ANDREW: VERY good, Josh. Now I want you to step back and realize that you’ve entered a whole new branch of PHILOSOPHY, with only the slightest bit of nudging.

JOSH: (Off-panel) I have?

ANDREW: Yes, you have, and it’s going to be our study topic for the next couple of WEEKS. What we’re talking about, here, is the study of HUMAN THOUGHT – and, more specifically, the ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE. This is the basis for an entire branch of Philosophy known as EPISTEMOLOGY, and –

CAPTION: This is not that world.

8/ Close on Andrew’s hip, as a pager at his side beeps and flashes.

SOUND EFFECT: Beep beep beep!

9/ Close on Andrew as he looks up at the class and smiles.

ANDREW: And it’s going to have to wait for tomorrow.
ANDREW: We only have about FIVE MINUTES left, and I really do have to take this call. If you could, please leave your copies of last night’s HOMEWORK on the desk on your way out, and I will see you ALL bright and early tomorrow morning.

CAPTION: And so the secrets prevail.

PAGE THREE

1/ Cut to the Offices of the Atlas Building, headquarters. We see over Andrew’s right shoulder as he sits behind his desk. Across from him, facing us, is Palmer. Palmer is in his mid-forties and he looks like your standard “government guy.” Basically, he looks like a pissed-off James Woods, sternly gazing through cold gray eyes, undercut by heavy bags that age him even further. He wears a simple gray suit with a dark red handkerchief sticking out of the pocket, matching his tie. Through the slatted window blinds off-panel, early afternoon sun shines through, casting a series of lines around the room.

CAPTION (NARR): Top floor of the Atlas Building, downtown.

PALMER: You’ve got your TEAM set up, so here’s your first official MISSION.
PALMER: You think these kids are READY for it?

ANDREW: I can’t say they’ve been FIELD-TESTED or anything, but I don’t see how we could actually DO anything like that to BEGIN with. They’re as ready as they’re ever gonna be.

PALMER: That’s going to have to do, then, MacTiernan. Last night a received a phone call from a Detective JOHN SPACEY, and he did not sound as though he was having the BEST of evenings.

2/ Head and Shoulders on Andrew as hits sits behind his desk, listening. His hands are folded in front of his face.

ANDREW: Someone contacted you? Palmer, I thought this was a bit more classified than having our number listed in the PHONE BOOK.

PALMER: (Off-panel) Well, honestly, nobody’s sure just HOW he knew to contact us. He claims to have heard about us from some private contact of his.

ANDREW: And he what? Asked us to INVESTIGATE something for him?

3/ long-panel of both of them, facing each other across the desk.

PALMER: This not simply an investigation, ANDREW. Though that will be a PART of it, I do expect you and your crew to NEUTRALIZE AND CONTAIN, here.

ANDREW: So what is it we’re UP against?

PALMER: The house is in LANCASTER. Near ROUTE 22. It’s called MUD HOUSE, an ABANDONED BUILDING, and apparently one that has BEEN abandoned for quite some time.
PALMER: A group of SQUATTERS turned up SLAUGHTERED there. Their bodies were strewn all over the house like DIRTY LAUNDRY. You’ll get a look at the crime scene and I think you’ll AGREE – nothing HUMAN did this.
PALMER: The house itself has a history of GHOST STORIES, so nobody’s acting too surprised about the UNNATURAL NATURE of the crime.

4/ Close on Andrew. He narrows his eyes in concern.

ANDREW: So some superstition and a quirky MURDER SCENE are all we need to go on to get involved in a random PUBLIC CASE?

5/ Palmer holds his hands out slightly to help paint a mental image. Behind him and all around him we see an image of a dilapidated old home, strewn with grisly cadavers.

PALMER: I want you to PICTURE this, Andrew:
PALMER: Bodies NAILED TO THE WALL.
PALMER: One guy SPLIT IN HALF and propped up NEXT TO HIS SEVERED LEGS. Another guy HUNG from a doorway with an ENORMOUS HOLE right through his stomach.

6/ Close on Palmer. He looks ominous, leaving no room for doubt.

PALMER: This is NOT a standard MURDER CASE.

7/ Andrew with his elbow on the desk, leaning back slightly as he recoils from Palmer’s vivid imagery.

ANDREW: Okay. I’ll put the CALL out.

PAGE FOUR

1/ Cut to a tall-panel as Milo walks up the Short North, midday. The snow has receded dramatically, and the sun is shining bright, reflecting off of his glasses. He wears only a t-shirt (specifically, a Bright Eyes t-shirt), because the weather is unnaturally warm for February.

CAPTION (NARR): The Short North.

2/ Close on Rhiannon’s hands, as they move over a folding card table, revealing the last in a seven-card, horseshoe-shaped Tarot spread. She’s reading a stranger’s cards for money, taking advantage of the beautiful weather to make a little cash. The cards, from left to right: An inverted The Star, an inverted The Chariot, The Empress, The Lovers, The Tower, The Hierophant, and finally Death (the one she’s laying down to finish the spread).

GUY: (Off-panel) DEATH!? That’s not cool!

RHI: Death doesn’t mean what you think it means.
RHI: What I see here is this: It looks to me as though you’ve recently had a sudden loss of FREE-FLOWING LOVE, or a loss of tranquility and PEACE OF MIND. Based on the rest of this spread, I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you’ve been through a TRAUMATIC BREAKUP.
RHI: Where you’re at now is that it’s damaged your PRIDE. Really done a number on your CONFIDENCE.

3/ On Rhiannon, looking pretty much like she always does, only now she has a freely displayed SIMPLE SILVER RING hung around a cord on her neck. She continues.

RHI: This doesn’t bode WELL with you, of course, but it’s doubly bad because of your DEPENDENCY on relationships. This is probably the result of your DOTTERING MOTHER, which would leave you permanently infantilized in your relationships with WOMEN. She made you believe you couldn’t SURVIVE without women, and you now truly believe that.
RHI: You need to change this character flaw, but standing in your way is your persistent need for DESIRE, an overwhelming hunger for CONNECTION, or a romantic union with somebody – ANYBODY.
RHI: You’re afraid that if you spent any time ALONE, the damage to your ego would be INSURMOUNTABLE, forcing you to realize some uncomfortable truths about yourself. The best thing you could do for yourself is to take some time away from this relationship-desperation and GET TO KNOW YOURSELF a little bit better. It couldn’t hurt you to have a stronger sense of experience and PERSONAL IDENTITY.

4/ Longish panel of the Customer, seen over Rhiannon’s shoulder. He looks incredulous, and not just a little offended. He was looking for something he didn’t get, maybe a lottery number, or news of a new love in his life.

GUY: And death? Explain to me how that doesn’t mean DEATH.

RHI: This card relates to the likely outcome of the COURSE OF ACTION suggested by the spread. Death doesn’t mean death, it means TRANSFORMATION. The elimination of old patterns and the beginning of something new. If you take some time to get to know yourself, you might see that you come out of it A CHANGED MAN, able to survive without your sense of CO-DEPENDANCY.

GUY: This isn’t what I expected at all. It’s just INSULTING.

RHI: Well, I’m sorry if you’re unhappy with your reading, but I don’t CONTROL which cards come up and which don’t. That’s just what the cards had to say to you.

GUY: Whatever. How much do I owe you?

RHI: TEN DOLLARS.

5/ Close on both their hands, as the money passes between them. It is a ten dollar bill, and nothing else.

6/ On Rhiannon as the customer gets up to walk away.

RHI: Thanks for the lack of tip.
RHI: I appreciate it.

7/ Long-panel over Rhiannon’s shoulder as Milo approaches, looking down at her at the table.

MILO: Jinkies, Daphne, I didn’t know you were a MAGICAL PERSON. How do we know it isn’t YOU causing the haunting of the old bed and breakfast, to scare away your UNWANTED CUSTOMERS?

RHI: And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for those MEDDLING KIDS and their BLASTED DOG.
RHI: What’s got you out and about today, Milo?

8/ Another long-panel framing both of them, as Milo sits down across from Rhiannon.

MILO: Have you looked around? It’s BEAUTIFUL out today.
MILO: Almost makes you forget it’s February. And after that freak storm last night? The weather doesn’t make any sense. What’s all this, here?

RHI: Eh, just saw the weather and decided to set up a booth out here. Make a little cash.

MILO: Think you could give me a complimentary reading? The starving artist bit isn’t exactly RAKING IN THE DOUGH for me, at present.

RHI: Give YOU a Tarot reading? No way.
RHI: You project enough as it is, without using CHANNELING techniques to get FURTHER inside your head.

PAGE FIVE

1/ Close on Rhiannon’s neck, clearly displaying the necklace.

MILO: (Off-panel) Hey, I didn’t notice that NECKLACE when I met you yesterday.

2/ Rhiannon and Milo, face-to-face across the table. She has removed the necklace and is handing it to him as she speaks.

RHI: My MOM gave it to me, right before she died. It was hers, for years.

3/ Long-panel of Rhiannon and Milo.

MILO: God, my FOOT tastes delicious. It could use some SALT, though. I swear I didn’t mean to PRY.

RHI: No, no – it’s okay. It was a long time ago. CANCER.

MILO: No, I’m a Gemini.
MILO: That was in poor taste. I’m sorry, Rhiannon. How old were you? If you don’t mind my asking.

RHI: I was 17. I didn’t get along with my Dad, so when she passed I lived with my brother for a bit before moving out HERE. Pretty much raised myself after that FIRST YEAR.

MILO: I hear ya. My story’s not all that different from yours, actually.
MILO: So is the necklace just a KEEPSAKE, then?

4/ Close on Rhiannon.

RHI: Well, mostly.
RHI: It’s also something of a Talisman. My mother was a pretty powerful psychic in her own right, so there’s sort of a CHARGE left on it. Like a psychic IMPRINT.

5/ Milo examines the necklace.

MILO: Well, to be honest, you don’t really need it.
MILO: I mean, as a keepsake, sure. But as far as carrying your mother’s AURA with you, that’s something you do without any HELP from this charm. You practically RADIATE her presence, with or without the talisman.

6/ Rhiannon blushes a bit.

RHI: Well, that’s flattering, but still…
RHI: I feel that it helps. If only because I BELIEVE in it so strongly. I feel that it gives me PROTECTION, and maybe ENHANCES my own abilities a bit, when I’m wearing it.

7/ Milo hands the necklace back to Rhiannon.

MILO: That’s sweet. I’m sure she’d be proud of you.
MILO: I, for one, don’t really subscribe to the use of Artifacts. I feel they’re an unnecessary step between us and the BEYOND, or whatever. But then, that’s just me.

8/ Rhiannon raises an intrigued eyebrow.

RHI: What IS your story, Milo Woodyard?

PAGE SIX

1/ Long-panel of Milo, over Rhiannon’s shoulder. He returns her eyebrow-raise.

MILO: That right there would fall squarely under the category of “Things we’ll talk about when I know you a little better,” Miss COMPLETE STRANGER.

RHI: And now it’s my turn to swallow my TOES. I guess one good INTRUSION deserves another.

MILO: Not at all. Honest question. It’ll just take a little while before I’m ready to give you an HONEST ANSWER.

2/ Tallish shot of Rhiannon, looking mischievous.

RHI: Well, you know, if you’re ever feeling CONFESSIONAL, we DO have a PREIST on the team, don’t we?

MILO: (off-panel) Oh, I don’t see THAT happening.

3/ Rhiannon and Milo, as Rhi leans forward a bit, posing like a damsel in distress.

RHI: You’ve got to admit, though:
RHI: He IS kinda HOT.

MILO: He’s not my type, that’s for sure.
MILO: He’s not really YOURS, either, Rhi. You DO know they don’t date, right?

4/ Rhiannon, viewed over Milo’s shoulder. Her pager goes off as she speaks, out of sight.

RHI: Who? Priests, or guys with INFERIORITY COMPLEXES?
RHI: No, I know all that. I can DREAM, though, can’t I?

SOUND EFFECT: BEEP BEEP BEEP

RHI: Uh oh. Does that ‘beep beep beep’ mean what I think it means?

5/ Close on Milo as he starts at the sound of his own pager going off.

SOUND EFFECT: BEEP BEEP BEEP

MILO: Meaning that we have an actual CASE?

6/ Rhiannon checks her pager.

RHI: We certainly DO.
RHI: It’s Andrew. Says we should meet him at the ATLAS BUILDING, a.s.a.p.

7/ Milo gestures dramatically at the Tarot cards spread out on the table.

MILO: Guess that means we have a MESS to clean up, then, don’t we?

PAGE SEVEN

1/ Very large panel, taking up most of the page, displaying Mud House for the first time. At the bottom of the panel is the issue’s TITLE, CREDITS and INDICIA. Mud House itself is the picture of abandonment: caved in brick walls, rose-pink exterior paint faded to gray in places, windows broken out. It is an 1870’s style Second Empire house, and despite the state of it, its once grand appearance is clear to even a passing glance. The area surrounding it is mostly farmland, with wire fences here and there, punctuating the tall dead grass that sticks up from spots of melted snow. This fictional property is based pretty unapologetically on the real-life “Mudhouse Mansion” (also in Lancaster), so when creating this image, feel free to use images of the real place as reference points. In front of the house, gazing up at it from the front lawn, are Milo, Rhiannon, and Andrew. Rhiannon stands uncomfortably, Milo’s arms are crossed somewhat indignantly, and Andrew looks poised for action.

MILO: This is not what I had in mind when I signed up, Andrew. I’m thinking X-FILES, and I’m getting EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER, instead.

RHI: Hey, that show can be okay sometimes.

MILO: No, Rhi. It can’t.

2/ Rounding out the bottom of the page is a long panel as Beth and Donovan climb out of Beth’s car, joining the group from behind. They also gaze up at the building.

BETH: Now, now, my cynical friends. It’s like the GOOD MAN said: “There are more things in HEAVEN AND EARTH, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

DON: Except with Milo, and not Horatio.

BETH: Of course.

PAGE EIGHT

1/ long panel of Mud House’s large front porch as a man emerges, striding in large steps toward the team. He is the Mickey Spillane-looking gentlemen who made the call to Palmer the previous night – Detective John Spacey.

SPACEY: You must be ANDREW MacTIERNAN?

2/ On Andrew as he steps forward, offering a hand. He still wears his outfit from class. We see him over Spacey’s shoulder.

ANDREW: That’s me.
ANDREW: I wish we could have met under BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES. You’re Detective Spacey, right?

SPACEY: The same.

3/ Close on a handshake between the two men.

SPACEY: (off-panel) I’m shamed to admit I’ve never heard of your ORGANIZATION, Andrew, but I’m pleased to be working with you. What was that name again?

ANDREW: (Off-panel) PARANORMAL DEFENSE INITIATIVE. How’d you get our contact information, having never heard of us?

SPACEY: (Off-panel) Friend of a friend. It’s kind of on the downlow, if that’s acceptable.

4/ Andrew and Spacey, face to face.

ANDREW: I suppose that’s okay.
ANDREW: This is actually our FIRST CASE, so I can’t claim we have a PROTOCOL or anything.

SPACEY: Well, this here’s a hell of a case to whet your pallets on. You should really do something about that NAME, though.

5/ Milo, Rhiannon, and Beth look on, as Milo pipes up.

MILO: THANK YOU! We’re thinking about KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

RHI: It’s taken.

MILO: So?

BETH: So this is a MURDER case? Who found the bodies – you?

MILO: Yeah, we’ve been told there’s some pretty GRISLY imagery in there.

6/ Spacey puts his hands on his hips, looking up at them from under his fedora. He looks a little shaken to finally be talking about it with his cavalry.

SPACEY: Actually, it was the house’s OWNER who found the crime scene. Name o’ Jenny Hart. She’s the one who called in the LOCAL POLICE, which, at the time, consisted of ME. Said she had some squatters, which is always a problem in old places like this one, here.
SPACEY: But this time, they were a bunch of DEAD squatters.
SPACEY: Once I realized what I was LOOKIN’ AT, I got my ass the hell out of there. Tried to figure out what to DO.
SPACEY: Right about then’s when my CONTACT turned up, pointed me at your Mister Palmer. And here we are.

7/ Rhiannon, Milo, and Donovan stand together, intrigued. Donovan stands slightly behind, not yet comfortable with his teammates.

RHI: We’ve been given the impression that the murders in this house are considered OUTSIDE the realm of likely HUMAN involvement.

DON: I mean, that’s really the only reason to call US in on a murder scene.

8/ Close on Spacey, as he looks foreboding.

SPACEY: Well, why don’t you come on INSIDE?

PAGE NINE

1/ long, large-ish panel as the entire team, plus Spacey, enter the house. It is dim, but not dark this close to the door. Brick walls with prominent chunks missing can be seen around them. Andrew leads, holding a gun out in front of him. Beth holds up a black duffel bag.

DON: Why, exactly, are you ARMED?

ANDREW: It’s called a PRECAUTION, Donovan.
ANDREW: There’s actually a BAG full of small arms, in case we ALL need one. Beth?

BETH: (holding the bag) Got it.

2/ Milo, Rhiannon, and Beth, as Andrew leads, his shoulder at the edge of the panel.

MILO: So, like, what are we really here to DO?
MILO: I get that we’re SUPERNATURAL INVESTIGATORS, but I guess I’m not sure what that actually ENTAILS, once things get tricky in here…

3/ On Andrew, flicking on a flashlight as it gets darker, leading deeper into the house.

ANDREW: Well, the trouble with a gig like this is that there’s not a lot of RELIABLE PLANNING that can be done.
ANDREW: Basically, we assess the situation. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we figure out which of us is most SUITED to do what ever it takes to neutralize and contain.

4/ Donovan hesitates for a moment, and Rhiannon bumps into him from behind.

SOUND EFFECT: BUMP

RHI: Oh, sorry. My bad.

DON: No, no, it’s alright.
DON: I shouldn’t have stopped.

RHI: No, really –

5/ Milo approaches Spacey, near the front of the group, lighting up his own flashlight.

MILO: Now, we’ve gathered that this place has a HISTORY of hauntings.
MILO: Could you clear that up a bit?

6/ Close on Spacey, as he looks up and around at the tall ceiling of the house, shining his light into the darkest corners.

SPACEY: Honestly, there’s a lot of conflicting reports.
SPACEY: The one you’re most likely to hear is about the SLAVES, though.

MILO: (off-panel) Slaves?

SPACEY: People say that there was some GOVERNMENT-TYPE or something, who lived here after the Civil War. After the slaves were freed, he didn’t wanna PART with his. This is a little far-fetched for an OHIO haunting, but not completely impossible.
SPACEY: I guess one night one of the slaves was supposed to have dug his own way out of the OUTBUILDINGS on the property, where they lived. Went on to kill the government guy and his entire family, and now they still hang around here, long after they should’ve PASSED ON, or whatever you wanna call it.

7/ Beth shines a flashlight on a book she has picked up from the floor, covered in dust.

BETH: You said this place was supposed to have been abandoned in 1931?

SPACEY: (Off-panel) Well, I didn’t say it to YOU, but I did tell Mister Palmer.

BETH: Right. Well, apparently this has been a popular Squat-spot for quite some time.
BETH: This is a copy of FAIRY TALES, by E. E. CUMMINGS, first printing. That’s 1965, that this was published. Posthumously.

8/ Spacey stands in the foreground, shining the flashlight at us, as Milo stands behind him, taking the book from Beth’s hands.

MILO: Filthy hippies.

SPACEY: (small font, a whisper) And here we go.

9/ This should be a horrifically morbid shot, finally revealing the bodies strewn all over the rotten old kitchen of the house. It’s exactly as described by Palmer, only maybe even more grotesque. Blood soaks the walls.

PAGE TEN

1/ Tall panel as Andrew looks ready for action. He’s handing a gun to Milo.

ANDREW: Well, that’s all I need to see.
ANDREW: This is where we CASE the place. Milo? Take this.

MILO: Why do I need this?

ANDREW: Because we’re splitting up.

2/ Cut to Milo, looking a bit scared as he walks through the house alone, gun held out before him. There is a communicator earpiece in his right ear.

CAPTION (NARR): Moments later…

ANDREW: (VIA COMM) You getting anything, Woodyard?

MILO: Nothing distinct.
MILO: I’m reaching out pretty hard, here. Enough that I’m a little worried about how mentally VULNERABLE I am.

ANDREW: It’s okay, Milo. Part of the job.

MILO: I don’t know if that’s enough to qualify it as OKAY.
MILO: I’ll keep trying, but I don’t think that whatever’s in here WANTS to be detected.

3/ Cut to Rhiannon, also wielding a gun and an earpiece.

RHI: I’m on the same page as Milo, guys.
RHI: I’m definitely getting SOMETHING, I just can’t tell what. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a very clear ANGER signal coming through in here, but nothing I can make heads or tails of to get a positive I.D. on what we’re facing. I feel kinda useless.

ANDREW: (VIA COMM) You two are my eyes and ears when it comes to the INCORPOREAL, guys. I need you at the top of your game.

4/ Cut to Andrew and Beth, navigating a dark stairwell w/ their guns and flashlights held together for accuracy.

MILO: (VIA COMM) You’re implying that we have any idea what the TOP OF OUR GAMES consist of, Andrew.
MILO: Kinda playing this by ear out here.

ANDREW: Milo, we can’t do ANYTHING until we know what it is that did this – I want you focused. And Rhi? Hone in on that ANGER. No matter how old this thing is, an Empath as powerful as you can follow that to the source.
ANDREW: Just get your heads out of the CLOUDS.

MILO: Just sayin’, man. The training for this job was not exactly RIGOROUS.

RHI: (VIA COMM) I agree with Milo. And I really want people to stop calling me RHI. It sounds like I’m a kind of BREAD.

5/ Cut to Donovan as he stands in the darkened room where they found the bodies, with Spacey, who is mostly off-panel. Donovan shines his flashlight off to the side.

ANDREW: (VIA COMM) Donovan? You coming to any conclusions, here?

DON: Well, I don’t have the fancy MIND-POWERS of our apparently BANTER ADDICTED friends, but I do have HUMAN INTUITION.
DON: There’s something you should ALL have noticed by now, but that no one’s talking about, for some reason.

ANDREW: And that is?

DON: Don’t you feel it? This isn’t some ANGRY SLAVE, or the confused, INNOCENT wife and children he killed to get back at the family’s patriarch. This is a FEMALE presence in this house, and it is a WOMAN SCORNED.

6/ Close on Spacey.

SPACEY: That’s interesting…

DON: (off-panel) Why?

SPACEY: Because that’s exactly what every OTHER person who’s ever claimed to experience a haunting at this house has said. And I never MENTIONED it to you.

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Donovan kneels over the bodies, looking a little repulsed, as the others rejoin him from behind. He reaches out, examining the cadavers a bit closer.

DON: Whatever’s haunting this house is NOT who we think it is.
DON: And this is PROBABLY not the first time something like this has happened here.

2/ Andrew, Beth, Milo and Rhiannon all stand together.

RHI: So what do you think it is?
RHI: Who could have done all this?

3/ Over the shoulders of the others, as Donovan looks over them at us. His eyes go wide.

DON: Maybe THAT?

4/ On a stairwell behind them, a glowing white apparition stares at them. It is a formerly beautiful woman, dressed for the early 1900’s, with a long white sheet hanging from her tattered clothes. Closer examination reveals her to be the woman from Donovan’s dream, in different clothing. Her hair was once luxurious, but it has long since become a little wild. She is as startled to be found as they are to find her. She holds up withered, long fingernailed hands in surprised.

5/ The ghostly woman lunges forward, knocking Milo down on the way to strike Donovan.

6/ The ghost grabs Donovan and shoves him up against the wall with enough force to make the dust erupt violently around them. Donovan winces in pain.

SOUND EFFECT: CRRACKK!

GHOST: GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!
GHOST: ELEANOR DOESN’T WANT YOU HERE!

7/ Milo is picking himself up from the dusty floor, completely shocked. His glasses are akimbo and his hair is a mess.

MILO: Holy crap.

8/ Andrew, Beth, and Rhiannon all pull guns and aim them futilely, as Andrew shouts.

ANDREW: (Huge) DONOVAN!!

PAGE TWELVE

1/ Close on the Ghost as it screams a horrible scream, rafters shaking around it. It still holds poor Donovan up against the wall, and he looks terrified.

GHOST: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

2/ Donovan drops to the floor as the Ghost lets go, retreating back into the house.

DON: (small) Oh my god.

3/ Cut to a Huge shot as the entire group, including Spacey, runs from the front porch of the house, screaming bloody murder. It is now approaching sundown. Donovan has stumbled on his way out and is vomiting in the grass.

BETH: EVERYBODY, GO!

MILO: (small) Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus

4/ Milo has now fallen to the ground, panting and sweating on hands and knees.

MILO: What the JUMPED-UP CHRIST was THAT!?

5/ Group shot, what Milo would see when he looked up: Donovan is approaching from behind, wiping vomit from his mouth, Rhiannon is looking fearfully back at the house, Beth is wiping sweat from her forehead, and Andrew is doubled over with his hands on his knees. Spacey approaches from the side, looking shaken.

ANDREW: Okay. *Huff Huff*
ANDREW: I vote we regroup. *Huff*

ANDREW: All in favor?

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ Cut to an establishing shot of the Atlas Building. It is early evening.

ANDREW: (From inside) Okay, so now that we’ve had our disastrous little FIELD RUN, perhaps a bit more careful INVESTIGATION is in order…

2/ Largeish shot of a long table, with the entire team positioned around it. This should be reminiscent of the Ward Room scenes on Star Trek. Andrew is at the head of the table.

ANDREW: To that end, I’ve asked Beth to do an extensive BACKGROUND SEARCH on the property of Mud House itself.
ANDREW: Beth, what have you got for us?

3/ Head and shoulders on Beth, as she reads from a file in front of her.

BETH: Well, as it TURNS OUT, this is not exactly the first collection of DEAD BODIES to show up on the property. It’s happened three times before, as a matter of fact.

4/ Rhiannon is shocked.

RHI: THREE TIMES? How is it possible that it’s never drawn any attention from the MEDIA? A series of killings perpetrated by a Ghost?

5/ Milo waves a finger at her.

MILO: Let’s not forget that WE are unprecedented, as far as I know.
MILO: You’re giving people a lot of credit for acceptance, when in reality people were more likely to have turned their heads and come up with some EXCUSE for what went down in that house.

6/ Close on Andrew.

ANDREW: Actually, it’s SIMPLER than all that.

7/ Beth continues reading.

BETH: Exactly. It was easy for people to turn their heads, NOT because of some kind of persistent DENIAL…
BETH: But because either these killings weren’t perpetrated by the Ghost, or the Ghost itself mocked up a pretty solid ALIBI.

8/ Donovan raises an eyebrow.

DON: Alibi?

PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Long-panel on Beth as she looks up from the manila folder.

BETH: In each case, a KILLER was found AT THE SCENE.

2/ Long panel w/ curved edges, indicating a flashback. The scene is the interior of Mud House, precisely where the bodies were found earlier that day by the team. It is, again, strewn with bodies and blood.

CAPTION (BETH): March 14th, 1971.
CAPTION: A commune of SQUATTERS turns up, brutally mutilated, but somewhat LESS dramatically than what we dealt with TODAY.

3/ Another long curved panel. The shadow of a police officer stands over a closet door, as inside the closet cowers a confused, scared looking man – holding a blood-drenched knife.

CAPTION: And three feet from the crime scene, the officers on duty discover WILSON DAVIES, the purported killer…still clutching the murder weapon.
CAPTION: Davies claims to have NO MEMORY of the event, only a stark recollection of the abrupt realization of LOST TIME, and the discovery of his own handiwork, much to his horror.

4/ Another long curved panel. A silhouetted group of police offices stand in the door to Mud House, surveying the scene. At the edges of the panel, blood creeps up the walls. It is clear that they are looking at yet another murder scene.

CAPTION: June 27th, 1983.
CAPTION: By now you know the ROUTINE, so it goes without saying WHAT the officers found at Mud House.

PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Tallish curved panel, continuing the flashback. A frightened looking woman sits on the stairwell to the upper floors of Mud House, rocking back and forth. A bloody chainsaw sits at her side.

CAPTION (BETH): This time, it’s Mary Beth Halton, a traveling hippie and mother of two, who went to work on the victims – which INCLUDED her two sons. She, too, claims to have no memory - only a horrified realization of what had happened.

2/ Tall curved panel. A Bedroom in Mud House, the bodies of a mother and children strewn about. Blood paints the walls, and on one wall “what have I done” is written in blood.

CAPTION: The OLDEST of the crimes was in 1892.
CAPTION: A sixty-five year old man named CHRISTIAN ROUGH set to work on his family with a GARDEN HOE. These folks, according to the police reports, actually OWNED and LIVED IN the house.

3/ Another tall curved panel. An image of Christian, with a rifle pointed into his own mouth. Tears roll down his cheeks.

CAPTION: Christian ultimately TOOK HIS OWN LIFE before police arrived, but the note on the wall and the clear suicide were EVIDENCE ENOUGH of what had gone down that night.

4/ Long panel of Andrew.

ANDREW: So the question is this: IF the old killings were perpetrated by WHATEVER we think we saw in the house today, WHY is there no clear human suspect THIS TIME?

5/ A curved panel showing the bodies in Mud House as they were this afternoon.

6/ On Rhiannon, looking thoughtful.

RHI: Is it possible the Ghost WANTS us to find it?

7/ Milo looks over at her.

MILO: We just got our TEAM together.
MILO: Why would anybody we face be ACTIVELY aware of, let alone SEEKING OUT, our organization?

RHI: Not US specifically. I just mean that maybe it wants to be FOUND.

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ Cut to a large-panel night-time establishing shot of Mud House. A small blue sedan has pulled up in the driveway, and a woman climbs out.

CAPTION: (Narr.) Mud House.
CAPTION: Jenny Hart never WANTED to be a part of LIES and DOUBLE-DEALING.
CAPTION: She is, by nature, a GOOD PERSON.

2/ Jenny looks behind her, over the roof of her car, as she shuts the car door. She is a middle-aged woman, with long blonde hair that hasn’t seen professional work for years. She is dressed simply, in an old pink blouse and tattered jeans.

CAPTION: But the day she took ownership of MUD HOUSE, all that changed for her.

3/ Close on Jenny’s feet, climbing the porch steps to the front door. Simple Keds shoes.

CAPTION: The house has been in her family for GENERATIONS.
CAPTION: Current upkeep not withstanding, it’s as HISTORIC as a property GETS. Not surprising that it’s a treasured HEIRLOOM.
4/ Inside the foyer as Jenny opens the door, letting the evening light in.

CAPTION: So what’s a girl to do when her family heirloom turns out to be marked with a history of horrific DEATH?

5/ Distant, bird’s eye view shot as a tiny Jenny creeps through the darkened house, flashlight shining about. Rats scuttle by in the FG.

CAPTION: This girl began to keep SECRETS.

JENNY: Mary?
JENNY: Mary, are you there?

6/ long panel as Jenny searches the rooms with her light.

JENNY: Don’t make me say it, Mary. You know I don’t go for that crap.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ tall panel as the shimmering, haggard woman from earlier appears, hovering over a somewhat startled Jenny. She’s not TOO startled, though…these two have had their share of friendly ‘chats’ before. On closer inspection, we see that the woman is ALSO the face of the demon from Donovan’s dream last ish.

MARY: (Demon balloon) How dare you INVADE my home? SULLY my floorboards with your WHORE’S FEET, shining your UNNATURAL light into my PRIVATE SANCTUM!

JENNY: It’s MY house, you sanctimonious bitch.
JENNY: And what the hell do you think you’re DOING?

2/ head and shoulders on Jenny, staring accusingly over her beam of light.

JENNY: We kept things under control for YEARS, and now you’ve brought VISITORS.
JENNY: What were you thinking?

3/ Close on Mary, indignant.

MARY: The man. SPACEY.
MARY: He was the fool who brought the INTERLOPERS.

4/ Mary and Jenny, face-to-face, which means Jenny has to look up a bit, and vice versa.

MARY: He is a SLAVE to that WOMAN of his. He should be killed.

JENNY: No, Mary. You’ve done ENOUGH to ruin the privacy we used to have in this place. You got too BOLD, stopped using human VESSELS.
JENNY: I think this is the end of an ERA, for us.

5/ Head and shoulders on Mary, with a suspicious sneer.

MARY: The interlopers. They are NOT police officers.
MARY: They are something ELSE. They STINK of DESTINY.

6/ Head and shoulders on Jenny. She chooses words carefully, as if speaking to a child.

JENNY: That’s true.
JENNY: They’re DIFFERENT. They’ll make you go away, you know.
JENNY: Before this is over, you’ll be in the market for new REAL ESTATE.

7/ Jenny turns to leave, and over her shoulder, Mary desperately schemes. She does not want Jenny to go, and that should be clear, but she does her best to maintain composure.

MARY: We can EXPOSE them! They know OUR secret; we can share THEIRS with the WORLD! You’re government’s lies, laid BARE for all to see…

JENNY: Who would believe us, Mary? The NATIONAL ENQUIRER?

8/ From behind Jenny, as she looks back over her shoulder.

JENNY: No, old friend.
JENNY: I believe these are our last few DAYS together.

JENNY: Was it good for YOU?

PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ Cut back to Andrew and Beth, sitting at the head of the conference table. Andrew rubs his eyes in exhaustion and props his head on the table as Beth takes notes.

ANDREW: Clearly, we’re not going to get any further with this until we’ve had time for more RESEARCH. We need to know more about the HOUSE, more about the HAUNTING legends, all of it.
ANDREW: Anything we can pull up would be NICE.
ANDREW: And we need to schedule another field-trip. See if we can’t get to know the GHOST a little better. Find out who this ELEANOR is…

BETH: I’ll contact DETECTIVE SPACEY about putting together another VISIT for tomorrow.

2/ Andrew gets up from the table, looking dog-tired.
ANDREW: That’s great. I mean, today was SO fun, how could we resist?
ANDREW: I need some water.

3/ Rhiannon and Milo sit together at the table, discussing.

RHI: Obviously, we’re dealing with a very OLD ghost here. Old enough that it’s got the ropes down pretty SOLIDLY.
RHI: I mean, you SAW that thing, right? How the hell could we not detect that before it was too late? Big honkin’ mother of a ghost like her?

MILO: You’re right, that didn’t sit well with ME, either.

RHI: I think you and I should get together before we CALL IT A NIGHT. Work on some projection, see if we can’t BONE UP on the sensitivity, before we set foot in there again.

MILO: Agreed. You wanna come by MY PLACE?

4/ Andrew stands at the water cooler, taking a drink from a paper cone-cup, as Beth approaches.

ANDREW: I can’t help it. No matter how HARD I try, I can’t shake the feeling that this would go so much more SMOOTHLY if Samson were here.
ANDREW: He would just reach out and KICK that thing’s ASS, like it was nothing.

BETH: I know. He did have a way of making it all seem so EASY.

5/ Close on Beth.

BETH: But think about it, Andrew.
BETH: This is clearly gonna come down to an EXORCISM.
BETH: Before this case is over, we WILL come out of it with a clear sense of just how capable DONOVAN is. Maybe we’ll have a whole new SAMSON on our side.

6/ Distant shot of the two at the water cooler. Their text balloons are small, indicating that they are being overheard from across the room.

ANDREW: I know, I know.
ANDREW: I just keep expecting it all to just GEL, like it did in ROME. And it’s not.

7/ Close on Donovan, as he looks angry and suspicious.

8/ Donovan gets up from the table, as Rhiannon and Milo look up in confusion.

DON: Excuse me. I’ll be back.

PAGE NINETEEN
1/ Donovan looks over his shoulder as he approaches a door marked ‘STORAGE.’

2/ Inside the room as Donovan creeps in. We can see the edges of filing cabinets and stacks of papers strewn about. Don flicks a light switch.

3/ Close on the filing cabinets as Don examines them, tentatively opening one.

4/ Donovan skims through the files, looking determined.

DON: (small font, whispered) Come on, COME ON! Where ARE you, you BASTARD?

5/ Donovan slides a manila folder marked ‘SAMSON PAUL’ out of the filing cabinet.

DON: There we go.
DON: Now, just what’s so special about you?
DON: What’s got all the KIDS talking at their LOCKERS?

6/ Rhiannon stands in the doorway, leaning on the frame, with her arms crossed.

RHI: What’s up, Donovan?
RHI: Everything okay? Because I’m getting a very ‘not okay’ vibe from you…

7/ Over Rhiannon’s shoulder, as Don looks up at her from the files. He looks like he just got caught doing something wrong, and he tries hard to cover his shame.

DON: Oh, I’m…I’m fine.
DON: I’m just, uh, LOOKING for something.
DON: Thought I saw something in here earlier that might be, um…PERTINENT to the case, and I thought that, you know…if I could find it, it would…
DON: Thought maybe it could be USEFUL.

RHI: You promise? Everything’s fine?

DON: Really, I’m okay.
DON: Thank you.

PAGE TWENTY

1/ Cut to a large shot of a darkened room, floors of corrugated metal, with a small fire lit in the middle. Around the fire sit six monks in red robes. Their hands are turned palms-up, and they sit rigidly in the lotus position.

CAPTION: Somewhere in Dayton.

MONKS (in unison): In the name of our Lord MALICE we invoke thee, oh SPIRITS of FORBIDDEN POWER…REACH OUT to us, and FILL US with your WISDOM…give us the GUIDANCE we SEEK and help us to send our minds FORTH into the great UNKNOWN! HELP US, oh spirits, to find the SOURCE of that great power which RENT FORTH from beyond, only HOURS AGO!

2/ One monk, dressed like all the others but wearing a golden sash, stands over the circle, surveying. Next to him stands a brown-robed monk, with a pen behind his ear. He looks fidgety, and he appeals to the red-robed monk. He is the assistant to the ‘Malice’ the monks speak of.

ASSISTANT: Are they GETTING anything yet? The master is waiting patiently, but his forgiveness is a well that is only so deep…

RED MONK: We’re TRYING. You KNOW we’re trying.

3/ Closer on the Red Monk, as the Assistant stands at his side.

RED MONK: But we are attempting to track TWO very powerful PSYCHIC SIGNATURES that popped up just this afternoon, and disappeared as quickly as they CAME.
RED MONK: They are VERY well concealed, and I would put my money on them belonging to a pair of psychics who are OLD HANDS at avoiding detection.

4/ The assistant raises a skeptical eyebrow.

ASSISTANT: Very well. But if you don’t find them SOON, Malice will NOT be happy. I don’t believe his WRATH is something you’d like to incur.
ASSISTANT: Now, if these gentlemen are perfectly capable of DOING THIS without you, the man himself would like to SEE you.

5/ Cut to the Red Robe and the Assistant as they walk down a long hallway. Again, we see that all of this is taking place in an abandoned warehouse, everything shades of brown and grey, as rust takes over the metal landscape.

RED MONK: I hate to be insolent, Eric, but I would like to point out that we would be far more efficient in CARRYING OUT Malice’s orders if not for the CONSTANT INTERRUPTIONS…

ASSISTANT: You would do well to watch your tongue, Master Michael.
ASSISTANT: You are not his first GRAND MAGUS, and you will most CERTAINLY not be his last.

6/ Close on their feet as they ascend metal staircases. They wear brown slippers beneath their flowing robes.

RED MONK: What is it about this particular SIGNATURE that he finds so important?
RED MONK: This is HARDLY the first time we’ve sensed a random SPIKE in the psychic airwaves, and it seems more reasonable to just wait till we feel it AGAIN.

7/ The assistant turns to face the red monk as they arrive at a partially opened doorway.

ASSISTANT: I don’t pretend to know the MOTIVATION behind his orders, Michael. I simply carry them out. As should YOU.

RED MONK: Of course, Brother Eric. May I?

8/ Eric opens the door with a dramatic gesture, and smiles.

ASSISTANT: INDEED, Brother Michael. MALICE will see you now.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ Tall panel as we see Malice for the first time. His Chamber, though still clearly in a warehouse, is decked out to be a shrine. It is flowing with plant-life, and decorated garishly with the artifacts of countless religions. From inside the creepers that stretch over everything, we see the faint light of a number of push-lamps, casting an eerie glow around the room. This should look like it came straight out of another world. In the center of it all is Malice, hovering three feet off the ground in meditation. His is dressed in a long trench coat that hangs down behind his floating form, the same color as the Red Monk’s robes. It is adorned with black buckles and small unholy artifacts. Beneath it, he wears a black Kevlar costume that looks like a sci-fi version of a swat-team uniform. His pants match his coat, and his boots are heavy and black, also adorned with buckles. This is the same outfit the demon woman wore in Donovan’s dream, but modified for a man. Malice is almost irresistibly attractive, with shaggy (but not unkempt) sandy blonde hair, and the face of a Calvin Kline model. He is about 27 years old.

RED MONK: (Off-panel) Malice?
RED MONK: Sir? You wanted to see me?

2/ Close on Malice as his eyes open only slightly. They are the color of brown that lava turns as it cools.

MALICE: Have you made progress, Michael?

3/ Michael looks at the floor, ashamed.

RED MONK: No, sir. We’re trying as hard as we can.
RED MONK: It’s just that they, or he, or she, or it…they’re VERY good.
RED MONK: They are almost UNDETECTABLE unless they reach out, as they did today. But I’m confident that the monks can –

4/ Very close on Malice as his eyes light up, no longer the hardened brown, but the color of hot magma, glowing like the sun. Steam curls gently from the edges of his eyes.

MALICE: There will be no more TRYING, Michael. You will FIND THEM. And you will FIND THEM SOON.
MALICE: I can find followers in the time it takes you to TIE YOUR SHOES. You are expendable.
MALICE: Find them or I kill you ALL.

5/ Michael the Red Monk is terrified, stepping away backward.

RED MONK: But, sir…

6/ Malice reaches out his hand, practically reaching off the page. His eyes explode in fire as his anger swells, and his hand follows suit, bursting into flame so hot it approaches pure white. As he yells, the hint of sharp incisors can be seen in his snarl.

MALICE: (huge) I SAID FIND THEM!!!

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ Cut to a Long-panel as Andrew sits at the desk in his home, in an office not unlike the one at the Atlas Building, but still obviously at a different location. He sits with a glass of wine, and looks exhausted. It is late at night, as indicated by the darkness outside his window and the desk lamp that is the only illumination in the room.

CAPTION(Andrew): The funny thing about SECRETS is…

2/ Cut to a Tall panel of Donovan, still standing in the offices of the PDI, flipping intently through Samson’s file in the light of a small lamp. His collar is undone, his shirt is untucked, and his hair is a mess.

CAPTION: …though they are built to protect us, they are often our DOWNFALL.

3/ Cut to Beth as she arrives at home, and Landon has surprised her with flowers after her long and tiresome first day.

BETH: Aww, baby, you didn’t…

LANDON: Of COURSE I did.

4/ Cut to Rhiannon, returned to the office to find a faint light still shining in the storage room. She creeps up to it, hoping not to alert Donovan.

5/ Cut to Milo, sitting alone in his studio, propped on the edge of his futon bed as he takes his medication. His socks don’t match.
6/ Cut to Jenny, walking silently through the halls of Mud House, holding herself tight against the cold night. She wears a light jacket, but it clearly isn’t enough.

JENNY: (Small font, whispered) …going to miss you, Mary…

7/ Cut to a close-up on the stack of books on the corner of Andrew’s desk, with Andrew himself in the BG, grading papers still. Prominently displayed in the stack is a text book on EPISTEMOLOGY, its cover old and faded, read many times over.

CAPTION: The human mind – or at least the INTELLIGENT human mind – longs for the truth to come OUT.

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ Cut to Beth and Landon, standing in the kitchen. They share a warm hug, but we see that Landon GLARES over Beth’s shoulder, filled with hatred.

CAPTION: Often, for that reason alone, our secrets are BUILT to fail.

2/ Close on the refrigerator, as we see the source of Landon’s hateful glare: a photograph of Beth and Andrew, standing in front of the Coliseum in Rome. Next to them stands Samson, wearing the faded cross t-shirt we saw Donovan wearing in his dream. Samson is young and attractive and very muscular, with a Ryan Reynolds face. His hair is a bed-head look, shooting this way and that. Landon’s focus, however, is clearly on Beth and Andrew.

3/ Cut to Rhiannon, looking in on Donovan again, in the storage room.

RHI: Donovan…I forgot my COAT, so I came back…
RHI: Are you SURE you’re okay?

4/ Donovan looks up from his reading, and he looks so fraught with worry that we should be concerned for him - his face looking much older than his years.

DON: I told you.
DON: I’m fine.

CAPTION: We tell a kind stranger ‘I’M FINE,’ but we make it clear that we are NOT.

5/ Close on the edge of the big conference table, in the office, with Rhiannon’s back in the BG as she peeks in on Donovan. On the edge of the table lies a prescription for Efavirenz, Zidovudine, and Lamivudine, the three drugs initially prescribed as part of the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy regimen usually combined with AZT. The prescription is made out to Elliot M. Woodyard.

CAPTION: We leave an important scrap of PAPER where we know it will be found.
6/ Cut to Jenny, as she walks away from Mud House, never looking back at it. The moon hangs high over the house as snow begins slowly to fall, the night growing colder.

CAPTION: Or we allow our secrets to push TOO FAR, until they make themselves known whether we wish them to be or NOT.

7/ Cut to Andrew, still at his desk, looking at the same photo of him, Beth, and Samson that hangs on the Adams’ fridge. His photo is framed in dark wood.

CAPTION: Yes, in the end, our secrets will probably DESTROY us. I pray that end does not come.

8/ Cut to Donovan, now in the private office of the headquarters, looking at Andrew’s books. In one hand, he holds Samson’s files. With his free hand, he reaches for a book labeled simply ‘INCANTATIONS.”

CAPTION: For SOME of us, though…

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Cut to a close-up of Spacey, looking again straight at the reader as snow falls around him. He is distraught, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

CAPTION: …it will come sooner than we could ever KNOW.

SPACEY: It’s done.
SPACEY: They’ve been to the house. They’re INVESTIGATING.
SPACEY: I did everything you asked.

2/ Pull back and we see John standing with a tall woman, his height, and looking the worse for wear. Her skin is flaking off, there is a tear at the edge of her mouth, and her once-blonde and silken hair is caked with dirt. Her clothes are dirty, but obviously very nice, as though she were dressed for a funeral, but fell in the mud. Her eyes are a striking blue, and her demeanor is friendly and soothing.

WOMAN: Thank you, darling.
WOMAN: I couldn’t be happier. It’s all going the way it’s SUPPOSED to go.

SPACEY: Cora…there’s still so much you haven’t TOLD me.
SPACEY: How are you here? You went AWAY, but now you’re HERE.

CORA: No need to DWELL on such silly things, John. I’m here. That’s all that matters.

3/ John looks confused.

SPACEY: But…I remember.
SPACEY: It seems so STRANGE now, but I could swear…I mean, I was there when it happened, wasn’t I? At the hotel? The KILLER? Was it all a DREAM?

4/ Cora looks sympathetic, reaching out to stroke John’s face. Unlike John, she is unfazed by the cold and snow. The muscles in her long neck are gaunt, so that they would be frightening if she weren’t so beautiful.

CORA: No, John. It wasn’t a dream. I’m only here to VISIT.
CORA: Soon, I’m going to have to LEAVE you again. It’s sad, I know. I’m sorry. But I can’t stay. It doesn’t WORK that way.
CORA: I had a purpose. Something they needed me to FULFILL. And it’s well on it’s way to being finished. When it is, we’ll have to say GOODBYE again.

5/ John pulls Cora close, not wanting to let her go. He’s full-on crying now, and it’s obviously that he’s completely lost it. Cora tries to resist, but gives in.

SPACEY: NO! You can’t LEAVE me again!
SPACEY: You don’t know. You don’t know what it’s been LIKE without you…

CORA: I DO. I do, John. I saw it all.

SPACEY: When I LOST you…everything CHANGED.
SPACEY: I’m not the SAME. I’m not the same MAN without you!

6/ They now hold each other tight, viewed over John’s back as Cora rests her head in the crook of his neck. She smiles and rubs him warmly.

CORA: It’s only for a little WHILE, John. I promise…

SPACEY: (withering balloon, through wretched sobs) Please, Cora….PLEASE…

CORA: We’ll be together again SOON, babe…

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ Full page splash-shot as we pull back and see the two of them embracing from a different angel, revealing two gaping bullet holes in Cora’s back. Through them, we can see rotting internal organs, and the impression of John’s clothing on the other side of her. Cora is one of the walking dead, come back for one last purpose…

CORA: We’ll be together soon.

CAPTION: Next – A History of Violence!